Ceramics
Code: C0303-22
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Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Form and Metaphor in Pots of Purpose
Jun 20 - Jul 1, 2022
9AM-5PM
Concept
This workshop provides a unique opportunity for students to develop their individual artistic voice using the material vocabulary of form, function, color and surface to create work that can evoke emotion, deliver poetic metaphor, make connections to cultural histories and resonate sentiment. Utilitarian ceramic objects are landmarks of the physical, emotional and relational topographies we use to navigate our lived stories around food, self and each other. As thoughtful makers, students consider the larger purposes served by their work, incorporating layers of meaning. Students are not just making bowls to hold soup–they build receptive space into experience, to find moments of compassion and generosity in a handheld vessel. Students refine their works through dialogue, drawings and writings while exploring methods such as pinching, coiling, throwing and altering, solid prototyping, press molding and reductive shaping. Special attention is given to the development of color and surface qualities through creative glaze chemistry experiments that are grounded in scientific methodology, but driven by artistic intuition.
Media & Techniques
Pottery, wheel-throwing, hand-building, mid-range porcelain, glazes, electric fire to cone 6
Supply ListFaculty
Gwendolyn Yoppolo
Gwendolyn Yoppolo transforms perception by creating ceramic objects and multisensory food events. She earned an MFA from Penn State, an MA from Columbia University, and a BA in Sociology from Haverford College. A passionate educator, writer and researcher as well as a maker, Gwendolyn is currently Associate Professor of Ceramics at Kutztown University.
Gwendolyn Yoppolo, Bone Bowl
Workshop Details
Workshop Supplies
For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.
If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Joanne Seongweon Lee, [email protected].
Lodging & Meals
Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations.
NEW: Course fees includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of course fees for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.
We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.
Ceramics
In 1966, American ceramicist Paul Soldner selected the site for what is now Anderson Ranch Arts Center, forming the foundation for a thriving ceramics program. Then and now, Anderson Ranch is a place where students exchange ideas and examine ceramic art and pottery techniques. It has always been a place where seminal moments of growth happen in an artist’s creative and critical thinking. Here, both beginning and emerging artists gain strong fundamental support, while established artists achieve new perspectives and advance their techniques.
The Ranch Ceramics team provides support, feedback and technical problem-solving, giving each artist the freedom to experiment and grow. Our primary focus is on personal advancement through a process of creative discovery.
The Soldner Ceramics Center makes up more than 10,000 square feet in three buildings with 3 studio spaces and 1 kiln yard; Soldner Studio, Long Studio, Sorenson Studio and Lyeth/Lyon Kiln Building. Soldner and Long studios are used for wheel-throwing, hand-building, or general ceramics creativity. Sorenson studio is equipped with five PotterBot 3d clay printers. The Lyeth/Lyon kiln building is equipped with gas, electric, soda and wood kilns for both oxidation and reduction firing at all temperature ranges. The Ranch offers three wood kilns including a gas/wood hybrid kiln, three gas reduction kilns, one soda kiln and eleven high-temperature electric kilns.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for ceramics workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Anderson Ranch is happy to extend a 20% tuition discount for summer one- or two-week adult ceramics workshops for NCECA members at the student membership level or above. Please email [email protected] with your NCECA membership information prior to registering and we will send you a promo code to complete registration with your discount applied. You are also welcome to call 970-924-5089 to register after verifying your membership with us. **Please note, this discount must be approved prior to registering and cannot be applied retroactively. NCECA discount does not apply to Advanced Mentored Studies programs or Destination Workshops, nor can it be combined with any other discount, scholarship or special offer.
Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts
Making Art Accessible
Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.
Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.
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Portfolio Review Required
Students have advanced skills and knowledge of the ceramics field. Students are highly motivated, have a minimum of five years experience in the field and have a portfolio of their artwork. Typical students are academics and professional artists.
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Facilitated Studio Practice
Jan 5 - 23, 2026
Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM
Participants can only register for three weeks
TUITION is $3,765
January Studio Sessions: Ceramics
Joanne Seongweon Lee
Tuition $3,765
Code ZSC0101-26
Anderson Ranch’s January Studio Sessions provide artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation, and access to equipment, as well as some morning group demonstrations and / or critiques. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Studios are open 24 hours a day and on weekends for students enrolled in multiple weeks, with limited use of equipment due to safety requirements. The machine rooms are only available when monitored – weekdays 9 AM-5 PM. Evening monitoring hours are Mondays - Thursdays, 7 – 9 PM. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. Participants who register for multiple consecutive weeks will gain access to the studios on weekends (with the exception of the machine rooms due to safety constraints.) Private dorm rooms are available at Anderson Ranch for one, two or three weeks for an additional fee; click here to view January 2025 lodging options. TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Betsy Alwin to apply: [email protected]
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Level I
Students are new to ceramics and have no formal training.
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Level II
Students have a basic understanding of forming techniques, such as throwing and hand building. Students have taken one or two ceramics classes or workshops.
Jun 1 - 12, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Hand Turned Ceramics
Paul Briggs
Tuition $1,795
Code C0101-26
This class teaches unique pinch forming methods that resemble how clay is pulled up on the wheel. Through patience and practice, students learn how to achieve scale and bold form, and move beyond the usual 3" pinch-formed pot to pinch up to 5lbs of clay, growing a pot from one ball without adding or subtracting material. Creating both functional and sculptural objects, we engage in the merging of ideas and form, of merging inside and outside, and of subtle metaphor. Glazing and firing will be mid-range oxidation.
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Level II
Students have a basic understanding of forming techniques, such as throwing and hand building. Students have taken one or two ceramics classes or workshops.
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Level III
Students have significant experience with clay forming techniques, such as throwing, hand building and modeling. Students are comfortable with ceramics equipment, such as wheels, extruders and slab rollers. Students are self-starting with some formal training and have taken a minimum of three classes or workshops.
Jun 8 - 19, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Understanding Wood Firing
Justin Lambert, Jason Hess
Tuition $1,795
Code C0202-26
In this workshop, students learn the terminology associated with wood firing, and gain understanding of what happens during the firing and cooling processes. Participants are guided through observation systems such as the fire triangle and stoke scale, and learn how to move heat via interval stoking, and spicing up anemic wood ash via "watering your wood." Participants gain confidence making decisions during the wood firing process while creating new work and gaining valuable technical experience in wood firing.